The Sunny Chronicles II: Resurrections: Chapter Thirteen

After Maggie is finished setting Leo up at Babe's cabin with a bed and some hot food, she bids him farewell and heads home. Babe and Bianca had obviously cleaned up the beer bottles and made the bed, but just the sight of the place made Maggie's stomach turn inside out. She could not imagine her Bianca in that bed with Babe Chandler, and she certainly did not want any help in setting the stage for the scene in her mind.

So, she drives. And, soon the anxious thoughts about Babe turn into anxious thoughts about Frankie. The sun is quickly starting to set in Pine Valley, and it casts shadows on everything. She thinks she sees her sister everywhere: standing on the side of the road, sitting on a bench outside of a pool hall, skulking around near the park. By the time she pulls into the driveway at home, she feels very close to jumping out of her own skin. She even thinks for a moment that she sees Frankie crouched down between two bushes in Bianca's flower bed, but it's only the birdbath Kendall gave her as a housewarming gift.

With a shaky hand, Maggie unlocks the front door and enters the living room with a sigh of relief. She sees Bianca sitting in her rocker with Miranda and immediately puts Frankie out of her head. Bianca sings a lullaby to the cooing child whose eyes are beginning to blink shut, note by note. She smiles warmly at Maggie, but continues singing until the song is done and the baby's eyes are fully closed. Maggie waits until Bianca looks back up at her before crossing the room and taking a seat on the ottoman.

"That was amazing," she tells Bianca. "Miranda is a lucky little girl to have you, Bianca."

"Oh, not half as lucky as I am to have her," she replies, speaking softly. "She has helped her Momma feel so much better today, and she doesn't even have to try."

"I'm glad to hear that," Maggie says with a smile. "I've been worried about you all day."

"You didn't seem too worried when I saw you at B.J.'s," she comments, raising an eyebrow. "In fact, I don't think I've ever seen you so … sure of yourself."

"Is that so?" says Maggie, trying not to let the words grumble out. "Well, you know, that must have been my alter ego coming out to play. I'll have to punish her for that later."

Bianca laughs. "Actually, I thought it was kind of cute. It almost made me forget about … everything else."

Maggie takes a deep breath and looks down at the floor. "You know I'd do anything to help you," she says after a pause, giving Bianca a sincere stare. "Don't you?"

Bianca nods and says, "There's not much you can do, except just … be here. It's just going to take time, Maggie ... like everything else."

"Where is Sunny?" Maggie asks suddenly, looking around the room. "I thought she would stay with you until I got home."

"I told her to go to her sister's," Bianca explains. "Poor Greenlee spent all day with the police at the falls, looking for clues … did you know that?"

"No," says a surprised Maggie. "Why would she do that? She wasn't close to Babe."

"I'm not sure," Bianca admits. "I think a big part of Greenlee always wants to search for clues at the falls … only, not for Babe."

Maggie's face drops. "Leo," she says mournfully.

"I'm sure having all of this happen only brings up bad memories for her," Bianca says. "I know it does for me. I miss him so much. And now, I've lost two of my very best friends at that spot. I don't think I'll ever be able to even go there again."

Maggie reaches out a hand and gently caresses Bianca's leg. "I'm so sorry, Bianca. I may not have thought very highly of Babe, but I certainly never wished this on her. I do know that she did love you, in her own way."

Bianca gives her a tender smile. "Let's not talk about this anymore, okay? I know I'll have to deal with it all later, but … just for tonight."

"Anything you want," Maggie agrees.

"What I want is to put Miranda to bed," she tells her. "And, I was hoping you would help me."

"Sure. Absolutely."

"I also wanted to ask you something else … if it's not too soon," Bianca says, giving her bottom lip a little bite. "I hope it's not too soon …"

Maggie scrunches up her eyebrows and smiles with intrigue. "What is it, Binks? If you want me to sing to Randa, you may want to reconsider. I always end up sounding like a dying cow."

"No, it's nothing like that," she laughs. "I was kind of hoping you might move some of your things into my room … like, say, yourself, for starters? But, only if you want to."

Maggie's eyes brim over with delight. They remind Bianca of the way the grinch looked when his heart grew 3 sizes too big. "Of course I want to," Maggie says. "But, Bianca … are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure," she insists. "… about anything."

Bianca stands up from the rocker with Maggie following her lead. She shifts the sleepy baby to one arm and offers Maggie her other hand, which she takes without hesitation.

"I know a lot has happened in the last 24 hours," Bianca says. "But, all I care about right now is you. I don't want to waste one more second with you, Maggie. Not if I can help it."

Maggie brings her hand to her lips and gives it a light kiss. "Not one more second," she agrees. "Never again. I promise."

Bianca nods with a smile, and the two women make their way upstairs with the baby, hand in hand.